Dyed Yarn

I closed the yarn dyeing part of my business in 2020. 

Looking for my patterns? They're still at my Etsy shop: 

Robin J. Edmundson Hand-dyed Yarns

Dyeing

Click here to read all of my posts about dyeing. I've broken them down into smaller topics below.

I have been dyeing yarn since we had our first sheep, way back when.  [You have to do Something with all that white wool!]

These days, I do all kinds of dyeing:  acid, fiber reactive, natural, sun, etc.    I mix all of my own colors from two sets of primaries.   It's a mad scientist kind of thing.

Here is a tour of my studio.



I teach classes right here at my studio -   You should take one!  I'm happy to schedule a class just for you and a few friends.  Contact me to schedule.   It'll be so much fun! 

Natural Dyes

These wool yarns were all dyed with natural dyes.  We've dyed with indigo, comfrey, goldenrod, osage orange, walnuts, madder, beets, pokeweed, apple twigs, onions, logwood, brazilwood and cochineal.

These are mohair yarns dyed with natural dyes.

We've dyed silk, cotton, linen, mohair, alpaca, tencel, soy silk, wool, bamboo and rayon with natural dyes.   We mordanted with tin, iron, copper and alum.   We used afterbaths of tin, copper, iron and ammonia.

Here are my posts on dyeing with natural dyes.

Fiber Reactive and Acid Dyes

The vast majority of my work is done by handpainting skeins.   Usually I use fiber reactive dyes on cellulose fibers [plant fibers like cotton, rayon, linen, etc.].

Here's a quick run-down on fibers and dyes.

I also do some handpainting on wool and nylon using a different set of acid dyes.

Here are some posts on acid dyeing.

The processes are very different and require a totally different approach and way of thinking.

Sun Dyeing

Here's a quick tutorial on doing dyeing in the sun.   It's great summertime fun, if a bit unpredictable.   Kids love it and you can use Kool-aid and food coloring so it's super safe.

If you're interested in learning how to dye, then you're in for a real roller coaster ride.   It's really fun, but dyeing is messy and can be unpredictable.  Give yourself time to learn and be patient with the results.  Need some help getting started?   I offer dye classes every year.    There's a link to my calendar on top of the page and on the sidebar.

If you're going to dye, then you need to know some color theory and chemistry.   Here's a list of great books to get you started.

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